SIVYJ YAR – Навстречу Сумеркам – Towards the Twilight (EP)

Сивый Яр (Sivyj Yar) is the solo project of Vladimir from Russia. He formed this band in 2006 and the same year his first demo “Тьма Зимнего Безвременья” was also released. In 2009 the debut full-length album “Нощь(The Night)” was out via Elhaz Division and re-released in 2011 by Gardarika Musikk, including as bonus the EP “Оредеж“. In 2010 the 2-track EP “Край Непуганых Птиц” was released by Irii-Sad Productions and in 2011 the second full-length album “Двоеверство (Dualfaith)” was out via More Hate Productions. In 2012 Сивый Яр released their new EP “Навстречу Сумеркам (Towards the Twilight)” via Irii-Sad Productions and Gardarika Musikk.

“Навстречу Сумеркам” contains 2 long black metal songs, plus a 6 minutes ambient track and its total duration is 24 minutes. In the first 2 tracks of this EP, Сивый Яр play mid tempo pagan black metal with many depressive melancholic black metal elements. Vladimir’s screaming vocals is by far the most “extreme” element of their music, which is otherwise quite melodic. Acoustic guitars and long instrumental passages add an almost post and progressive black metal “color” in the overall atmosphere of the album. Their compositions are based on the great combination of distorted and acoustic guitars and they manage to create a very agonizing and at the same time “warm”atmosphere, avoiding the use of synths. The third track “Мерцали Звезды Над Еловой Бездной – Twinkling Stars Above the Firry Abyss” is a dark ambient song with a repetitive keyboard melody, nature sounds (mostly winds) and some haunting female weepings and recitations in the background; the perfect way to close the EP…

Overall, I find “Навстречу Сумеркам” a very beautiful EP that fans of the band will love. If you like pagan and depressive black metal of raw yet atmospheric nature, then you better check Сивый Яр and this EP is a nice way to start. It comes in a nice digipak edition, co-released by Gardarika Musikk and Irii-Sad Productions. For the main theme of the wonderful CD artwork they used the works of 2 Russian painters, Gregorij Myasoedov and Ivan Glazunov. You can visit the band’s profile on MySpace, or watch their official video below for the second track “Смутная Мгла – Vague Haze“. In the end of February the band released also its 3rd full-length album “Как Прежде Плыли Зори – The Dawns Were Drifting as Before” via Those Opposed Records.